Trump and Xi Jinping discuss Taiwan, Iran and war in Ukraine at bilateral summit in China

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May 14, 2026May 14, 2026By Mario Vásquez
Trump and Xi Jinping discuss Taiwan, Iran and war in Ukraine at bilateral summit in China

During their meeting in Beijing, the presidents of China, Xi Jinping, and the United States, Donald Trump, addressed international and regional issues such as Middle East, the war in Ukraine and the Korean peninsula.

Xi Jinping affirmed that Taiwan is “the most important issue” in the bilateral relationship and warned his American counterpart that, if managed well, the ties between both powers will be able to maintain “general stability”but if it is “handled poorly,” the two countries could even lead to a conflict and a dangerous situation in their relations, according to the Chinese state press.

He also maintained that Taiwanese independence and peace in the Taiwan Strait are “incompatible”. In Xi Jinping’s opinion, stability in the region constitutes the common denominator between China and the United States.

Xi Jinping told Trump that “There are no winners in a trade war” and that the economic ties between both nations are of “mutual benefit.”

The meeting between Xi Jinping and Trump occurs after the trade truce agreed in October 2025which reduced part of the tariff tensions, although disputes persist over technology, rare earths, access to the Chinese market and purchases of American products.

trump visits China accompanied by the Secretary of StateMarco Rubio, and a delegation of senior executives such as Elon Musk, from Tesla; Tim Cook, of Apple; Jensen Huang, from Nvidia, and heads of Boeing, BlackRock, Visa, Mastercard, Meta and Goldman Sachs.

“We must be partners, not rivals; achieve success together, seek common prosperity and forge a correct path for the great powers to relate in this new era,” said Xi Jinping after receiving Trump and his cabinet with military honors in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and beginning the first round of dialogue between both delegations.

The White House reported that during the first meeting of the bilateral summit in Beijing, Trump and Xi Jinping agreed that Iran can “never” have nuclear weapons and the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to hydrocarbon traffic without charging rights of passage.

“Both parties agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to sustain the free flow of energy. “President Xi made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use,” the US government said.

According to the White House, Xi Jinping “expressed interest” in acquire more US crude to reduce China’s dependence on oil from the Persian Gulf.

Both countries committed to increase economic cooperation and “expand access to the Chinese market for American companies and increase Chinese investments in our industry,” highlighted the White House.

For his part, Trump asked his Chinese counterpart to continue working to stem the flow of fentanyl precursors that arrive in the United States and asked Beijing to increase purchases of American agricultural products.

The working meeting, on the first day of Trump’s visit to Beijing, lasted more than two hours.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang declared before a delegation of American businessmen that China and the United States “can and must remain friends and partners.”

During the state banquet held in Beijing on the occasion of the official visit of the United States, Trump invited Xi Jinping and his wife to visit the White House on September 24.

In his speech, the Republican described the relationship between the United States and China as “one of the most important in history”while toasting the “prosperity” of both countries.

“The Americans and the Chinese We share many things in common. We value hard work, courage and achievement. “We love our families and our countries,” Trump said.

At the banquet, Xi Jinping also added a nod to Trump’s political motto by stating that China’s “great rejuvenation” and the goal of “making America great again” can advance in parallel.

The state agency Xinhua reported that both leaders agreed to support each other in the organization of the informal meeting of leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), scheduled for November 18 and 19 in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, and the G20 summit, which will take place on December 14 and 15 in Miami, Florida, United States.

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